Malachai, the Enemy and the Man
by Pete Hollaflop
Summary: George Arellano is in love with his best friend Ruth, but she finds interest in someone else- Malachai, the violent assistant of the leader of the Corn kids. George, a holdout in the community, will do whatever he can to get rid of Malachai. Right NOW.
1. Prologue

I hope you enjoy...I just watched the Children of the Corn and I loved it. I had to write something...and I had a story ready. So here it is!

* * *

"It's not because of the cruelty, is it?"

George looked up, glaring at Clara. Why must she be so difficult?

"What isn't?"

"The reason you want him dead. It's not just because he's horrible."

George groaned. The obvious hint in her voice said that she knew.

"So what, it's none of your business why."

"Yes it is, George. I'm doing this with you, I have I right to know our reasons."

"And what are yours?" George shot back, snapping his head up to look at her. "Why are you here?"

Clara cocked an eyebrow. "You know that. I'm here because of my brother. He's in that mess and I want him out. They've brainwashed him and stolen him from me. Plus, I hate corn." She offered George a grin. He rolled his eyes.

"Maybe I don't want to talk about it to you." He got up and strode across the barn, running his hand through his hair.

"Well, you've got no one else to talk to about it. And I already know. So go ahead and talk."

"Well. Dang it, Clara, you're so annoying. Fine. FINE. That's not it. Okay?"

Clara smiled in triumph. "It's because of Ruth."

George's exasperation turned into a scowl. "Yes, it is."

"Well, what's the deal? _Tell _me."

George spun on his heel and walked briskly toward her. He got up in her face and said, "Can't you see it? How she fawns over him? How much she loves to be around that sociopath?"

"Mmm. That's exactly what I see. So you love her, then, and it kills you that she could fall in love with a sociopath instead of you, or at least someone reasonable."

George backed off and sat beside Clara, and gave a small nod as he hung his head. Clara took a good long look at him and then nodded as well.

"Pick your head up, soldier. He'll never go down without a good fight. And I'm sure that's what you intend to give him."

George looked up and gave Clara the slightest ghost of a smile. "Thanks for being so caringly annoying."

"You're welcome." She smiled. "Anything else you want to share?"

George nodded again, this time more vigorously. "I'd like to tell you the whole story, actually. Since you just got here, you'll need more information to get your brother back, and talking will make me feel better, evidently."

"Well, shoot." Clara said.

"Alright. Well…I guess it really all started when my best friend fell in love with Malachai."


	2. Part One

Here's part one! To anyone who may have read this, the pieces are going to be slow coming. With school and my siblings using the computer all the time, I only get so much time to work on writing. I haven't even been able to look at my other stuff right now.

* * *

"Hey, did you hear about that new guy?" Ruth asked me, glancing up from her nails that she was painting purple.

"Yeah." I replied, not glancing up from my book. "He's some weird religious freak. Likes corn."

"_Worships_ the corn. He's, like, Cornist, if that's a thing, you know?"

"Yeah. A freak. Like I said."

Ruth finished her nails a recapped the bottle. "Maybe not a freak. Just…" she paused, looking for a word.

"Insane?" I suggested. "Where's he live, anyway? It's not like our town is very big. I haven't heard that he'd moved in anywhere. You'd think we'd all hear if he was someone's new neighbor."

"Yeah, I haven't heard anything either. There aren't many places for sale. And I've never seen him with his parents. It's like he came to town alone."

"Exactly." I replied, and dismissed the conversation.

A few minutes passed in silence, the only sounds from outside the window, or from Ruth blowing on her nails or me turning pages.

"So I heard something interesting the other day during lunch at school." She turned to face me and tapped the bed slightly, obviously requesting my full attention. I threw my bookmark back in the book and put it down, then turned to face her.

"What about?" I asked.

"You." She said.

I cocked an eyebrow. Me? George Arellano meant That Guy, not The Guy. Nobody bothered to talk about me. There were also, like, only twelve girls there, ten boys that were around our age group. The boys didn't talk much about other kids. That was the girls' job.

"What was it?"

"Turns out, someone has a crush on you."

"Oh yeah?" Oh yeah? Really? Who might that be….your imaginary friend?

"Yeah. Anamai, the redhead. You know her."

"Really?" Anamai, the quiet kid. No joke?

"Yeah, she's got a huge thing for you. I think you should ask her to be your girlfriend. You'd be cute together. And it's not like you've got much other choice.

I considered this. Nope, I didn't. I didn't really like the girls at all- seven out of twelve were very prissy. They liked to whisper and giggle. Puh-lease.

But Anamai, Ruth, and three others were cool. Well, Ruth was. The others were okay.

"Yeah, no thanks. I think I'll be okay."

"Oh, right. Don't you like her?" Ruth prodded, a grin on her face. There was a point behind this. Deeper information she wanted to know, or share.

"She's okay. Better than Clarissa, I guess."

"Well, if it's not her you'd be interested in, who is it? You've gotta like someone." So, was she looking for that, plain and flat, or was she hoping I'd ask who she liked? Is that what she wanted to share? May as well go for it. I sure wasn't going to say who I was interested in.

"Maybe I'll tell you…if you tell me who you like first." If I was right, she be too interested in sharing that hearing about my crush life.

Obvious glee opened in her eyes. "Fine. I'll tell you."

"Okay, go." I waved my hand at her.

"Alright. I think I'm in love with Craig."

And with that statement, I fell to pieces.

"What?" I leapt up from my bed, causing her to leap to her feet as well. My all-time enemy, Craig Falton, the only guy I had anything against here, and she chose him.

"What, what's wrong?" she asked, confused and concerned.

"Craig? Don't you know me at all? Why would I be okay with you liking Craig?"

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's a jerk! The biggest jerk of all time! Haven't you seen us at it? He almost punched my face in yesterday!"

"You guys just don't get along. And it serves you right- you don't pick on people older than you. Or bigger!"

"What! I didn't pick on him! He dumped my lunch on the floor!"

"Well, let it go. When you're not around, he's nice. I've…I've talked to him."

"When?" I bellowed. _When_, oh when would she find time to track down big bad _Craig_, and get a reasonable, _nice_ conversation out of him?

"I've talked to him every day this week. He's walked me home after they play soccer after school."

"They play _soccer_ after school?" How gay.

"Yes, and I stay to watch. Craig is really good at it." O f course he is, he's a goon.

"Why should that make any difference to me?"

"He's really a nice person, just you rub him the wrong way. He thought you were a jerk too, until I told him how nice you are."

"What? Why would you do that?" Why would she do that?

"Well, if he ends up being my boyfriend, I want him to get along with my best friend."

I could only stare. Boyfriend. She said it. Boyfriend. She wanted Craig to ask her to be his girlfriend. Boyfriend. Holy crap.

"Ruth….I-you…." I stuttered. What was I planning to say? I love you? Don't date him, I liked you first? Did he even like her? Oh, no. OHHH, crap NO. "You can't date him."

"And you can't tell me what to do." She picked up her polish bottle and her shoes and climbed out the window, heading back in the direction of her house.

"Ruth, come back! Wait, I meant to say because…because…" My voice trailed off when she broke into a run at the road. I couldn't go after her. I couldn't just go say that I loved her.

Crap.


End file.
